As we told you in our previous video, our main focus this year for SIHH 2018 will be videos. This is the best way to show you what is about to be launched and how the watches looks like in the metal. Nothing works best than images and words, and to start with this SIHH series of videos, we have François-Henry Bennahmias, CEO of Audemars Piguet, who exposes the brand new collection.
Well, as your Instagram feed has no doubt already informed you, SIHH 2018 is already well and truly under way. Firstly, if you’re not already, click here to follow MONOCHROME for live pictures and updates from the team throughout the show. Secondly, for a quick summary of what SIHH actually involves, which brands exhibit and why it is so highly anticipated each year by watch lovers everywhere, watch this helpful introductory video by our Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Frank Geelen. And here is an insider’s tour of the show.
The sky’s the limit in this final instalment of the best watches of 2017 – and the entry price to this exclusive club starts at a cool $20K. For this you can expect hot ceramic, classical tourbillons, cutting-edge design, ingenious engineering, and finishing to die for. Breguet Marine Équation Marchante 5887 Ah, the equation of time! It’s one of the most esoteric complications in the world of high horology, and Breguet’s innovative and deceptively simple display means that telling the difference between civil and solar time has never been this simple. $296,000 A. Lange & Söhne Tourbograph Perpetual ‘Pour le Mérite’ When it comes to mic-dropping virtuosity, no one can do it quite like the Germans. More functions than anyone rationally needs, incredible tourbillon and a fusée and chain? Yes, please. POA Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Perpetual Calendar (Ref 26579CE) What makes AP’s ever-popular perpetual calendar even hotter? Black ceramic, and lots of it. This is the first all-ceramic Royal Oak from Audemars Piguet, and we certainly hope it’s not the last. $123,000 Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 King Gold The Big Bang is a watch that isn’t afraid of making a statement, and when the Big Bang in question is the…
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For the third instalment in our video series of the best watches of 2017, we’re talking about watches priced between $5000 and $10,000, including a versatile Omega, a couple of chronos and some more dressy options. Tudor Heritage Black Bay Chrono The Tudor Black Bay landscape got a little complicated this year with the addition of a chronograph to the family. And the extra detail isn’t just on the dial side — the movement, the result of a new partnership with Breitling, is quite interesting too. From $5690 Tag Heuer Autavia Heritage Heuer fans rejoice! The Autavia was re-released in 2017, and in exceptionally fine form. The inverse panda dial, the distressed camel strap and, excitingly, powered by the revamped CH80 movement … From $6600 Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Control Date Jaeger-LeCoultre had a banner year in 2017, thanks largely to their well-received Master Control trilogy. And while there are three options to choose from, we find it hard to go past the simplicity of the Master Control Date. $8300 Omega Seamaster Aqua Terra Master Chronometer Omega’s do-everything Aqua Terra was dear to our hearts this year, a classically styled three-hander that offers just the right mix of flash and function. From $7250…
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In the last days of last year we decamped from our regular, air-conditioned office for a sun-drenched bar high above the Melbourne CBD. But unlike every other company who had the same idea, we were more work-y, less party. We were recording a series of ‘best of’ lists … like this wrap-up of the year’s best watches of 2017 under $1000. Seiko Presage Cocktail Time The international launch of Seiko’s dressy Presage Cocktail Time caused a stir (or is that a muddle?) this year, and with one of the best dials under $1K it’s very easy to see why. From $650 Timex Marlin If you had told me three years ago that Timex would release a heritage, mechanical reissue in 2017 I would have called you a liar. And I would have been proved wrong. This little guy is a winner. $199 USD Seiko Prospex SRPB53K ‘Samurai’ It should come as no surprise that Seiko know their way around a well-priced diver, and this year they delivered again with a revamped Samurai, with just the right balance of classic and contemporary. From $675 Halios Seaforth This summery little stunner is from Canadian microbrand Halios, and with its sensible design and…
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They’re always problematic, best-of lists. Best? On what grounds? When it comes to these personal Top 10s, they’re purely based on the things that we, as individuals, like about watches. Best, says who? For this video, it’s best, says me. And, to that end, what I like most about watches is the way they make me feel — it’s all the intangibles, like how it rests on the wrist, what part it could play in my life, what unspoken, metal to skin story it tells about the people that made it. And then, when worn on my wrist, what it might say about me to the world. As for the magic of television and whether or not we collaborated on our personal Top 10s, I have my hand on my heart: Felix and I actually succeeded in keeping our favourite watches of 2017 away from each other right up until the date this was filmed. And that’s no easy task in an office like ours. So, be assured, this video definitely contains traces of real incredulity. Really? That one? No! Not that one! Etc etc. As for my list, it chopped, it changed, it was pulled from a shortlist that was actually very…
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A great looking simple dress watch has a certain “je ne sais quoi”. Of course there’s is only so much you can do as a designer, at least that what most laymen think. And also to us there are some very simple 2, or 3-hand watches that are just… perfect. The size, the shape of the case, that small bevel on the lugs, and that lovely straight-brushed case-band, or any other detail that can just hit the right note. But how difficult is it to find that perfect balance when designing something. We set out and asked the experts, Anthony de Haas, A. Lange & Söhne’s director product development, and Bruno Moinard, an acclaimed architect and designer. What is timelessness, and how to translate this, in all subtleness, into a design that will remain appealing for decades, or even centuries. Here’s what they told us about this ‘elusive’ property.
Recently, we had the pleasure to publish what has been one of our most demanding projects of the year, “The Speedmaster Chronicles”. We wanted to celebrate an icon of the watchmaking world, a watch that is known by most of us, a watch that carries an immense history, a watch that made it to the moon and, overall, a dream machine. You name it: the Omega Speedmaster. 5 movies, 5 guests, 5 points of views, all with a personal look at the Speedy. Today, we wanted to recap this series of videos in one single article, and also to bring a comprehensive and user-friendly Speedmaster Timeline, looking back at the main models and the evolution of this watch from 1957 to today.
I’ve been a big fan of Hublot’s Meccano-inspired Meca-10 ever since I saw it in the metal. For me it manages to be super new and exciting for Hublot, yet also 100 per cent on brand. At the heart of this watch (and its appeal) is the movement. The HUB1201 is a big old manual wind, with two barrels packing in a potent 10 days of power reserve (hence the 10 in the name), and spiced up with some typically Hublot skeletonised architecture. It’s a cool movement, but this new golden incarnation gives it a whole new mood. Other versions play to contrast, all black and steel. This version, however, is suffused with light, giving you an unobstructed view into the depths of the movement, every barrel and bridge lit up like they’re under lights. And the whole (very pretty) picture is framed beautifully by the King Gold case. Years ago, Hublot came to fame for their big, bold and brash designs. These days, they’re certainly still big and bold, but there’s also an increased level of sophistication and unique style at play in their watches. Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 in King Gold Australian pricing Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 in…
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Today is the fifth and last episode of “The Speedmaster Chronicles“. We’ve been looking at the past (the NASA story, the vintage collector) and the present (auctions and markets, Speedy Tuesday movement) and today we need to close the circle. It’s time for us to understand what the Speedmaster represents for Omega and to look at …